Autonomous data routing in a peer-to-peer computer network

ABSTRACT

A method is disclosed for autonomously routing data using in a peer-to-peer computer network includes identifying a destination node to receive a data transfer, storing IDs of neighbor nodes sorted into orbital bins according to round-trip times (RTTs) between a source node and the neighbor nodes, sending one or more path packages from the source node to the destination node in a first direct data path from the source node to the destination node, sending path packages from the source node to the neighbor nodes, sending one or more path packages comprising updated hop information from a first hop node to the destination node, calculating total one-way latencies and performance metrics respectively for the path packages received by the destination node, and selecting a relayed data path for the data transfer from the source node to the destination node.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to commonly assigned pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026, titled “Autonomously routingdata using relay nodes pre-selected from a group of distributed computernodes based on measured one-way latencies”, filed Apr. 21, 2021, thecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of computernetwork, and in particular, to improving performance of datacommunications over computer networks such as the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The current Internet transit services are vulnerable to eavesdropping,and fail to route around partially degraded networks, leading tosuboptimal network performance.

Conventional technologies in the dynamically routed internet fieldprimarily operate at the Network Layer (Layer 3) by selecting a bestpath for traffic based on the shortest path between the data sendingnode and the destination node, which often does not minimizedata-transmission latencies. The conventional technologies also do nottake into account of network degradation. Related technologies in theVirtual Private Networking (VPN) provide protection from eavesdropping,but do not route around degraded network paths.

The current Internet system is inefficient and unreliable because ofseveral key factors: first, economic incentives are misaligned. Internetservice today provides global connectivity but is unable to guaranteethe network performance of the connectivity provided. Internet ServiceProviders generally seek to minimize costs and maximize profits. Contentproviders seek to deliver the best end-user experience to maximizerevenues and customer retention while minimizing costs, especially forIP transit while end-users want the best quality of service from bothInternet Service Providers and content providers for free. Secondly,there is lack of outbound routing control. Content providers cannotcontrol how their outbound traffic is routed. As a result, routerstypically forward traffic along congested and suboptimal network pathsto the destination, even when better alternative network paths exist.Thirdly, reliance on third-party security. The Internet's position as azero-trust network fails to meet the challenges associated with onlinedata sensitivity, increased cybercrime risk, and user inexperience. Thevast majority of security solutions is guaranteed by a third party, suchas a certificate authority or cloud provider. Consequently, traditionalInternet bears the risk of that third party being compromised.

There is therefore a need for computer network technologies withimproved transmission speed, improved security, and higher reliabilityin data delivery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides the implementation of a thin connectionlayer of software over the Internet, which can transform the publicInternet into a computer network having significantly improved datatransport. The connection layer consists of a peer-to-peer network ofphysical and virtual computer nodes which communicate with each otherbased on decentralized protocols.

In one general aspect, the present invention relates to a method forautonomously routing data using in a peer-to-peer computer network. Themethod includes automatically identifying a destination node to receivea data transfer in a peer-to-peer computer network, wherein thepeer-to-peer computer network comprises a plurality of nodes eachassociated with a unique node ID, defining one or more constraints forthe data transfer, storing, at a source node, IDs of first neighbornodes that are connected to the source node in the peer-to-peer computernetwork, wherein the neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality of firstorbital bins according to round-trip times (RTTs) between the sourcenode and the first neighbor nodes, sending one or more path packagesfrom the source node to the destination node in a first direct data pathfrom the source node to the destination node, sending path packages fromthe source node to the first neighbor nodes, wherein the first neighbornodes include a first hop node, updating a path packet received by thefirst hop node with associated hop information, sending one or more pathpackages comprising updated hop information to the destination node in asecond direct data path from the first hop node to the destination node,storing IDs of second neighbor nodes that are connected to the first hopnode, wherein the second neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality ofsecond orbital bins according to RTTs between the first hop node and thesecond neighbor nodes, if the constraints for the data transfer allowsmore than one relay node in a data routing path, sending path packagescomprising updated hop information from the first hop node to the secondneighbor nodes, wherein the second neighbor nodes include a second hopnode, repeating, at the second hop node, steps of updating a path packetwith associated hop information and sending one or more path packages tothe destination node, receiving, by the destination node, path packagesfrom the source node, the first hop node, and additional hop nodesallowed by the constraints for the data transfer, calculating total OWLsand performance metrics respectively for the path packages received bythe destination node, and automatically selecting a relayed data pathfor the data transfer from the source node to the destination node ifthe associated total OWL and performance metrics satisfy predeterminecriteria.

Implementations of the method may include one or more of the following.The relayed data path selected can include the first hop node as a firstrelay node. The constraints for the data transfer can have two relaynodes in a data routing path, wherein the relayed data path selectedfurther includes the second hop node as a second relay node. One of thepath packets received by the first hop node from the source node caninclude a sending time stamp recorded at the source node, wherein theone of the path packets is updated with a reception time stamp recordedat the first hop node and an identification of the first hop node. Theone of the path packets can be further updated by a cryptographicsignature by the first hop node. The one of the path packets can beupdated by signing with a private key paired with a public keyassociated with the first hop node. The public key of the first hop nodecan be obtained from a node ID of the first hop node. The first orbitalbins and the second orbital bins can be ranked by associated RTT values,wherein each of the orbital bins is associated a specific interval forthe RTT values. An RTT between the source node and one of the firstneighbor nodes can be calculated by a sending time stamp of a pulsemessage sent from the source node and a reception time stamp of a returnpulse received by the source node in response to the pulse message, thesending time stamp and the reception time stamp being both recorded atthe source node. At least some of computer clocks at the plurality ofnodes have skews relative to each other, wherein the RTTs areindependent of the skews between the computer clocks at the plurality ofnodes in the peer-to-peer computer network. The method can furtherinclude removing a node from the neighbor nodes associated the sourcenode if RTT or jitter measured between the node by the source node isabove a predetermined criterion. The step of calculating total OWLs andperformance metrics of the packages received by the destination node caninclude summing OWLs measured at all routing segments along a relayeddata path associated with one of the path package received by thedestination node to obtain the total OWL for the relayed data path. Atleast some of computer clocks at the plurality of nodes can have skewsrelative to each other, wherein the total OWL measured in the relayeddata path selected is independent of the skews between the computerclocks at the plurality of nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network.The relayed data path selected can have a total OWL and jitter lowerthan the first direct data path. The method can further include storingIDs of third neighbor nodes that are connected to the second hop node,wherein the third neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality of thirdorbital bins according to RTTs between the first hop node and the thirdneighbor nodes, if the constraints for the data transfer allows morethan two relay nodes in a data routing path, sending path packagescomprising updated hop information from the second hop node to the thirdneighbor nodes, wherein the third neighbor nodes include a third hopnode, repeating, at the third hop node, steps of updating a path packetwith associated hop information and sending one or more path packages tothe destination node. The plurality of nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network can include one or more virtual nodes associated with asoftware defined network, wherein the relayed data path selected caninclude a virtual node for relaying the data transfer from the sourcenode to the destination node. The method can further include storingpeer-node hash tables at individual nodes in the peer-to-peer computernetwork, wherein each of the peer-node hash tables includes hash valuesof node IDs of associated neighbor nodes, and querying a node ID of thedestination node using peer-node hash tables stored at the source nodeand other nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network.

In another general aspect, the present invention relates to anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality ofinstructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause theone or more processors to perform operations a computer network, theoperations comprising: identifying a destination node to receive a datatransfer in a peer-to-peer computer network, wherein the peer-to-peercomputer network comprises a plurality of nodes each associated with aunique node ID, defining one or more constraints for the data transfer,storing, at a source node, IDs of first neighbor nodes that areconnected to the source node in the peer-to-peer computer network,wherein the neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality of first orbitalbins according to round-trip times (RTTs) between the source node andthe first neighbor nodes, sending one or more path packages from thesource node to the destination node in a first direct data path from thesource node to the destination node, sending path packages from thesource node to the first neighbor nodes, wherein the first neighbornodes include a first hop node, updating a path packet received by thefirst hop node with associated hop information, sending one or more pathpackages comprising updated hop information to the destination node in asecond direct data path from the first hop node to the destination node,storing IDs of second neighbor nodes that are connected to the first hopnode, wherein the second neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality ofsecond orbital bins according to RTTs between the first hop node and thesecond neighbor nodes, if the constraints for the data transfer allowsmore than one relay node in a data routing path, sending path packagescomprising updated hop information from the first hop node to the secondneighbor nodes, wherein the second neighbor nodes include a second hopnode, repeating, at the second hop node, steps of updating a path packetwith associated hop information and sending one or more path packages tothe destination node, receiving, by the destination node, path packagesfrom the source node, the first hop node, and additional hop nodesallowed by the constraints for the data transfer, calculating total OWLsand performance metrics respectively for the path packages received bythe destination node, and automatically selecting a relayed data pathfor the data transfer from the source node to the destination node ifthe associated total OWL and performance metrics satisfy predeterminecriteria.

In another general aspect, the present invention relates to a computersystem for autonomously routing data using in a peer-to-peer computernetwork, which includes: a communication module configured to send orreceive data to and from nodes in a peer-to-peer computer network; and acomputer memory storing the instructions that, when executed by the oneor more processors at the plurality of nodes, cause the plurality ofnodes to: identify a destination node to receive a data transfer in apeer-to-peer computer network, wherein the peer-to-peer computer networkcomprises a plurality of nodes each associated with a unique node ID,define one or more constraints for the data transfer, store, at a sourcenode, IDs of first neighbor nodes that are connected to the source nodein the peer-to-peer computer network, wherein the neighbor nodes aresorted into a plurality of first orbital bins according to round-triptimes (RTTs) between the source node and the first neighbor nodes, sendone or more path packages from the source node to the destination nodein a first direct data path from the source node to the destinationnode, send path packages from the source node to the first neighbornodes, wherein the first neighbor nodes include a first hop node, updatea path packet received by the first hop node with associated hopinformation, send one or more path packages comprising updated hopinformation to the destination node in a second direct data path fromthe first hop node to the destination node, store IDs of second neighbornodes that are connected to the first hop node, wherein the secondneighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality of second orbital binsaccording to RTTs between the first hop node and the second neighbornodes, if the constraints for the data transfer allows more than onerelay node in a data routing path, send path packages comprising updatedhop information from the first hop node to the second neighbor nodes,wherein the second neighbor nodes include a second hop node, repeat, atthe second hop node, steps of updating a path packet with associated hopinformation and sending one or more path packages to the destinationnode, receive, by the destination node, path packages from the sourcenode, the first hop node, and additional hop nodes allowed by theconstraints for the data transfer, calculate total OWLs and performancemetrics respectively for the path packages received by the destinationnode, and automatically select a relayed data path for the data transferfrom the source node to the destination node if the associated total OWLand performance metrics satisfy predetermine criteria.

One advantage of the disclosed systems, non-transitory computer-readablemedium, and methods is that the disclosed peer-to-peer computer networkcan provide improved data transport without a single point of failure inthe network. A simple directory service is provided to facilitate andvalidate secure end-to-end network connections in a global computernetwork.

Another advantage of the disclosed systems and methods is that best datarouting paths are calculated in a distributed fashion, which providesmore robust and secure data transport. Decentralization of the protocolmeans that no single node should have an authority on theselected/proposed best paths. The best path calculation is distributed,which makes it easier for other peers to verify the legitimacy of thepath candidates. The integrity of data routing operations can be securedby encryptions at all the peer nodes along the relayed routing path.

Yet another advantage of the disclosed systems and methods is that thefaster paths can be determined between Internet-connected computerdevices without the requirement of clock synchronization between thecomputer devices.

Still another advantage of the disclosed systems and methods is in thescalability of the improved data routing through a decentralizednetwork. The peer-to-peer network is open to all the nodes on theInternet, which include physical devices and virtual nodes. Thedata-routing protocols are designed in a trustless manner, which makesit highly unlikely for malicious nodes to affect the operations of thewhole peer-to-peer network for a considerable amount of time and scale.

A unique feature of the presently disclosed systems and methods is thattwo different time measurements are used for updating nodes and forfinding relayed data path in a peer-to-peer network. Peer nodes at anode in the peer-to-peer network are regularly updated based return-triptimes between that node and other peer nodes. On the other hand, relayeddata routes are evaluated based on one-way latencies from a source nodeto a destination node in the peer-to-peer network.

Another distinct advantage of the presently disclosed system and methodis that the latency measurements and determination of relayed datarouting paths do not require clock synchronization between peer nodes inthe peer-to-peer computer network.

Yet another important aspect of the presently disclosed system andmethod is in its network security. The data messages and data packagessent between peer nodes can be cryptographically signed the nodesinvolved using their private keys, which can be verified using nodeidentifications related to public keys.

The disclosed decentralized network provides a buffer to the overallnetwork load. Whenever or wherever a computer network is overburdenedwith traffic and experiences high latencies, the disclosed systems andmethods can autonomously identify alternative routing paths andalleviate the traffic latency or congestion, which result in moreconsistent and reliable in the network's performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a peer-to-peer computer network that is autonomouslyself-organized and updated, and that is capable of discovering best datarouting paths in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows details of exemplified nodes in a peer-to-peer computernetwork in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for autonomously self-organizing a peer-to-peercomputer network and routing data between nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a detailed flowchart for self-organizing the peer-to-peercomputer network in relation to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart for autonomously routing data from asource node to a destination node in the peer-to-peer computer networkin relation to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for autonomously self-organizing nodes andautonomously finding best data routing paths between nodes in apeer-to-peer computer network in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the problems faced by the conventional network routingtechnologies, the present invention provides a decentralized system inwhich distributed nodes self-organize into a peer-to-peer computernetwork. Data transfer latencies and stabilities between nodes arecontinually measured and evaluated. When a data transport need arisesbetween two nodes in the network, better performing paths between nodesare dynamically determined in the peer-to-peer computer network based onthe up-to-date measured latencies and network stability.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1 , a peer-to-peer computernetwork 100 includes a plurality of nodes A, B, C, V1, R, P, V2, Z, etc.Some of the nodes (e.g., A, B, C, R, P, Z) can be physical computerdevices or systems which are connected on the Internet. Some of thenodes (e.g., V1, V2 . . . ) can be virtual nodes that virtual machinesor virtual agents defined in a software defined network. The peer nodesin the peer-to-peer computer network 100 can communicates with eachother in encrypted messages using public/private key pairs. The publickey of a node can be obtained from the node ID of the node, which isavailable to all peer nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network 100.All the nodes in peer-to-peer computer network 100 are pre-installedcomputer codes which contain protocols that govern the communicationsamong the nodes, the set-up, maintenance, and governance within thepeer-to-peer computer network 100, and measurements, data pathselection, and data routing within the peer-to-peer computer network100.

FIG. 2 shows detailed components of two exemplified nodes node A 210 andnode V1 250 in the peer-to-peer computer network 100. Node A 210includes a communication module 220, a processor 225, and computermemory 230. The computer memory 230 stores computer codes that includeinstructions that define a distributed autonomous routing protocol(DARP), which can be executed by the processor 225 and the communicationmodule 220. The components in the DARP are the same as those stored in avirtual node such as node V1 250, and their details are described belowin conjunction with node V1 250.

The node V1 250 is a self-contained virtual system which resides in ahost system or host device but isolated from the host by a firewall 255.A virtual node can run any executable or script that is supported by theoperating system environment of the host system or host device. The nodeV1 250 includes a remote access module 260 that is configured tocommunicate with other nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network 100.The pre-installed DARP defines several applications or modules: networkself-organization protocols 270, a peer-node hash table 275, data pathdiscovery protocols 280, and smart contract 290. Analogously, theseprotocols and a peer-node hash table are stored in the computer memory230 in the node A 210, which can be accessed and executed by theprocessor 225.

The peer-node hash table 275 can store IP addresses, port numbers, andprotocols (such as TCP, UDP, DNS, etc.), which are information used tocommunicate with the nodes identified by the node IDs. The nodes maysupport multiple network protocols that can be used to exchange messagesbased on network parameters. Nodes can choose which protocol is bestsuited for a particular situation and switch when needed. Each node musthave a Public/Private key pair in order to be able to join the network.A node ID is derived from the Public Key. The Public Key of node canalso be obtained from Node ID, which allows other peer nodes to verifythe authenticity of messages signed by this node. Thus, a node ID is notonly an identifier for the node, but can also be used to obtain thepublic key for decrypting messages sent by this node. Moreover, securemessages sent from other peer nodes to this node can be encrypted by thepublic key of this node, which can only be decrypted and read by theprivate key of this node.

The peer-node hash table 275 at each node contains information for aportion of the peer nodes (i.e., a portion of the global node ID hashtable) in the whole peer-to-peer computer network. Importantly, otherpeer nodes can also query a peer-node even it is not stored in their ownpeer-node hash tables. Given each node is connected to the peer-to-peercomputer network 100 and its node ID is stored in the peer-node hashtables at some peer nodes, any other node within the peer-to-peercomputer network 100 may find it one way or another. Thus, with thesharing of information stored in peer-node hash tables, nodes in thepeer-to-peer computer network 100 are not required to be directlyconnected for them to find each other. The node IDs and queries of thenode IDs can be defined by Kademlia protocol.

The network self-organization protocols 270 stores instructions fortasks for autonomously setting up and maintaining the peer-to-peercomputer network 100. Since there is no centralized command center, thepeer-to-peer computer network 100 is formed and maintained solely by thedistributed nodes therein, which makes the disclosed network moreresilient against attacks and network failures. The disclosedpeer-to-peer computer network 100 adopts a node-centric approach inorganizing the relationship between a node and relationships to othernodes.

Referring to FIG. 1 , node A is connected to node B, node C, node V1,and node R via connections 11, 12, 13, 15 respectively. These nodes thatnode A is connected to are stored as neighbor nodes at node A. Node Asends pulse messages to node B, node C, V1, R and some of the nodesreply and send return pulses back to node A. Using the time stamps ofthe pulse messages sent out and the reception time stamp of the returnmessages, node A can calculate round-trip times (RTTs) from therespective nodes. In some embodiments, the pulse messages can be basedon User Datagram Protocol, TCP or DNS protocols. Node A organizes itsneighbor nodes according to the measured values of the respective RTTs:for example, neighbor nodes having RTTs within [0, 10 ms] are placed ina first orbital bin; neighbor nodes having RTTs within (10 ms, 20 ms]are placed in a second orbital bin . . . Graphically, the nodes can bevisualized as located at different orbits around node A: node B and nodeC are on orbit 10 (˜10 ms RTT) relative to node A, while node V1 andnode R are located at an orbit 20 (˜20 ms RTT) around node A, and so on.

In addition to data-transfer latencies, each node also measures jittersin its communication with other nodes. Details about latencymeasurements based on sending and reception time stamps and detailsabout jitters in data transfer latencies between nodes are discussed incommonly assigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026,titled “Autonomously routing data using relay nodes pre-selected from agroup of distributed computer nodes based on measured one-waylatencies”, filed Apr. 21, 2021, the content of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

Since the peer-to-peer computer network 100 is a distributed systemwithout a center, each of node B, node C, node V1, and node R measuresRTTs from their respective neighbor nodes and organizes the respectiveneighbor nodes in a similar fashion as node A does, as described above.For example, node R is connected to neighbor node P with connection 32and to neighbor node V2 via connection 31. Node P is located on an orbit30 relative to node R and node V2 is located in an orbit 40 relative tonode R. In a cascading fashion, all the updated nodes (current members)in the peer-to-peer computer network 100 are connected to each other: afirst node is connected to its neighbors; each of the neighbors isconnected to their respective neighbors.

Under the instructions of DARP, the RTTs between nodes are continuallymeasured; the orbital bins around each node are regularly updated; nodesin the peer-to-peer computer network 100 are updated.

A distinct advantage of the presently disclosed system and method isthat the latency measurements in the peer-to-peer computer network 100does not require clock synchronization between peer nodes. Local clocksat different nodes can generally have skews or clock rate differences.The RTT measurements involves the subtraction of the reception time of apulse message received by a neighbor node (or a candidate node) from thesending time (measured at the same node) of the return message back tothe origination node. Thus, a skew in the clock at the neighbor node (orthe candidate node) is cancelled out in the RTT measurement. In otherwords, offsets between clocks of a node and its neighbor nodes do notaffect RTT measurements between peer nodes in the peer-to-peer computernetwork 100. Details about independence of latency measurement againstclock offset in a disclosed decentralized network are discussed incommonly assigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026,titled “Autonomously routing data using relay nodes pre-selected from agroup of distributed computer nodes based on measured one-waylatencies”, filed Apr. 21, 2021, the content of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

Each node (e.g., A, B, C, V1, R, P, V2, Z) in the peer-to-peer computernetwork 100 is represented by a unique node identification (ID). Eachnode (physical or virtual) in the peer-to-peer computer network 100stores a hash table of hash values of the node IDs of some neighbornodes (current members, or the updated nodes) in the peer-to-peercomputer network 100 and the nodes' IP addresses, port numbers andprotocols. The hash values in the peer-node hash table allow allows thenode to quickly query some current members (mostly connected neighbornodes, as well as candidate nodes that may be selected to be connectedto the current node) of the peer-to-peer computer network 100. Forexample, node V1 250 can query some current members of the peer-to-peercomputer network 100 using the hash values stored in the peer-node hashtable 275 (FIG. 2 ). Moreover, node V1 can send requests to its neighbornodes to query a node using peer-node hash tables at the neighbor nodes.Since the nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network 100 areinterconnected in the above-described cascading fashion, node V1 250 canfind any node in the peer-to-peer computer network and sends messages ordata to another node within the peer-to-peer computer network 100 andmanage the relationship with the other nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network 100.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the data path discovery protocols 280guides the operation tasks for identifying, evaluating, and selectingdata routing paths and sending data between a source node to adestination node along a selected relayed data path within thepeer-to-peer computer network 100. For example, when a need arises fornode A (source node) to send data to node Z (destination node) withinthe peer-to-peer computer network 100, DARP can discover multiplecandidate relayed data paths from node A to node Z by sending pathpackages, as described below in relation to FIG. 5 , wherein each of therelayed data path includes at least one relay node that is a currentmember of the peer-to-peer computer network 100.

Under the guidance of DARP, a distributed node in the peer-to-peercomputer network 100 can evaluate data-transmission latencies andjitters of the multiple candidate relayed data paths from node A to nodeZ. For example, a relayed data path from node A to node R to node V2 tonode Z is identified and selected if the latencies and jitter meetpreset criteria. This particular relayed data path includes two relaynodes (node R and V2 node) and three routing segments there in between:node A to node R; node R to node V2; and node V2 to node Z. Thelatencies of a relayed data path can be characterized by the total theone-way latency (OWL), which is the sum of OWLs from all the routingsegments of the relayed data path. The data jitter in the relayed datapath can be represented by an average of data jitter in the routingsegments that constitute the relayed data path. In parallel, node Asends pulse one or more path packages directly to node Z in a directpath as defined by conventional network routing protocols, which resultsin a measurement of the one-way latency for the direct path. If thetotal OWL in a relayed data path is shorter than the OWL of the directpath and the jitter in the relayed data path is below a threshold, thatrelayed data path can be selected to route data from node A to node Z,which gives better data-transport performance that the conventionalmethod along the direct path. Another advantage of the presenteddisclosed methods and systems is that the total measured OWL of arelayed data path in the peer-to-peer network is independent from theclock skews or offsets at the relay nodes along the relayed data path.The total measured OWL is determined by the sending time of the pathpackage at the source node (e.g., node A) and the reception time of thepath package at the destination node (e.g., node Z). Details aboutone-way latencies along a relayed data path comprising one or more relaynodes and its independence of the clocks of the relayed nodes arediscussed in commonly assigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/219,884, titled “Automated formation and optimization of a group ofnodes for distributed data routing over computer networks”, filed Apr.1, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the smart contract 290 defines obligations andincentives for each node relative to the peer-to-peer computer network100 and relative to each other. For example, after successful datatransfer via a relayed data path, the relayed nodes can be paid bytokens typically by the source node that has initiated the datatransfer. The successful completion of data transfers and tokentransactions can be validated and recorded by peer nodes on ablockchain. In addition, those peer nodes that function as relay nodescan be validated and awarded by tokens for continuing to up andavailable to route data for its peers. These above and other conditionsare defined in the smart contract, which are pre-agreed when nodesinstall DARP codes. Details about governance and utility of adecentralized data routing system including obligations and incentivesof the peer nodes are disclosed in commonly assigned pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/237,026, titled “Autonomously routing data usingrelay nodes pre-selected from a group of distributed computer nodesbased on measured one-way latencies”, filed Apr. 21, 2021 and commonlyassigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/463,883, titled“Utility and governance for secure, reliable, sustainable, anddistributed data routing over the Internet”, filed Sep. 1, 2021. Thecontent of these patent applications is incorporated herein byreference.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the method for autonomously routing data using ina peer-to-peer computer network (e.g., 100) can include two processeseach comprising multiple steps: self-organizing a peer-to-peer computernetwork comprising a plurality of nodes each associated with a uniquenode ID (step 310) and automatically routing data from a first node to asecond node via one or more relay nodes in the peer-to-peer computernetwork (step 320). Step 310 is related to setting up and maintaining afunctional peer-to-peer computer network capable of routing data withinthe network. Each node in peer-to-peer computer network is representedby a unique ID. Hash values of these node IDs are stored in a peer-nodehash table (e.g., 275 in FIG. 2 ). Step 320 involves the process ofidentifying, evaluating, and selecting relayed data paths for routingdata between peer nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network. Asdescribed below in relation with FIGS. 4 and 5 , the relay node is anupdated node in the peer-to-peer computer network.

The process of self-organizing a peer-to-peer computer networkcomprising a plurality of nodes each associated with a unique node ID(step 310) can include one or more of the following steps. Referring toFIG. 4 , the first node in a peer-to-peer computer network storesinformation about of its neighbor nodes in the peer-to-peer computernetwork (step 410). In the example shown in FIG. 1 , node A storesinformation of its neighbor nodes, such as node B, node C, node V1, andnode R that node A is connected to in the peer-to-peer computer network.The information can include node IDs and other properties (such as IPaddresses, port numbers, and protocols) of the neighbor nodes, which asdescribed above can be stored in a peer-node hash table (e.g., 275 inFIG. 2 ).

Optionally, the first node can also store information about candidatenodes that are currently not neighbor nodes of the first node, but canbecome neighbor nodes to the first node in the future (step 420). Thecandidate nodes are nodes that the first node is aware of and hasincrementally stored previously. In some embodiments, the candidatenodes can be shared by the neighbor nodes of the first node. Forexample, in FIG. 1 , Node A's neighbor nodes, i.e., node B, node C, nodeV1, and node R are in communication with node A. Under DARP protocols,these node A's neighbor nodes can share with node A about the nodes theyare respectively connected to and are aware of. For instance, thecandidate nodes stored at node A can include nodes that are connected tonode B, node C, node V1, and node R, such as node P and node V2 that areconnected to node R. The candidate nodes allow node A to explore alarger pool of nodes and to expand its network of neighbor nodes in eachupdate. At the same time, some of the nodes that node A has beenconnected may become unstable or non-responsive or non-performing (e.g.,increased data latencies or increased data jitter), these nodes may bedropped off from node A's connections (i.e., Node A's list of neighbornodes, with more details described below). The balance of expansion andtrimming of neighbor nodes (i.e., updated connection with the firstnode) assures a healthy operational peer-to-peer computer network.

In general, nodes are self-managed and self-organized in thepeer-to-peer computer network based on the performance by the dataconnections between the nodes. Thus, the nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network are required by DARP protocols to continuallymeasurement performance characteristics (e.g., latency, jitter, etc.) oftheir connections. Based on the most updated performance measurements,the peer-to-peer computer network dynamically refresh its members: somegood performing nodes are added to neighbor nodes, and some non-responseor bad performing nodes are removed from neighbor nodes. The updatedneighbor nodes for all nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network formthe updated nodes for the peer-to-peer computer network. To this end,pulse messages are regularly automatically sent from the first node tothe neighbor nodes and the candidate nodes (step 430). Each of the pulsemessages is characterized by a sending time stamp at the first node.

In response to the pulse messages, the first node receives return pulsesfrom at least some of the nodes in the neighbor nodes and the candidatenodes (step 440). Each of the return pulses is characterized by areception time stamp at the first node. Similarly, each of the pulsemessages sent from the first node to one of the neighbor nodes or thecandidate nodes is associated with a sending time stamp.

Next, round-trip times (RTTs) between the first node and its neighbornodes or its candidate nodes are calculated based on the pulse messagesand the return pulses (step 450). Each of the return messages ischaracterized by a reception time stamp. Since both sending andreception times are measured at the first node, thus RTT calculationsare independent of the clocks at the neighbor nodes and the candidatenodes. A neighbor node or a candidate node receives a pulse message fromthe first node at a reception time and sends a return message back tothe first node at a transmittance time. The reception time andtransmittance time cancel out each other in the calculation of the RTTat the first node using the transmittance time of the pulse message atthe first node and the reception time of the return message at the firstnode. However, RTT measurement may be affected by clock rate differencesbetween the first node and the neighbor node or the candidate node. Insome embodiments, the RTT calculations between the first node andneighbor nodes or the candidate nodes in step 450 can compensate theclock rate differences between different nodes. The first node can sendpulse messages to a neighbor node or a candidate node at regular timeintervals and receive return messages at regular time intervals. Thereturn messages include transmittance times at the neighbor node or thecandidate node. The clock rate of the neighbor node or the candidatenode can be calculated using the transmittance times. In RTTcalculations, the time gap between the reception time and thetransmittance time at the neighbor node or the candidate node can beadjusted according to the difference between the clock rates at thefirst node and the neighbor or candidate node. In other words, the RTTmeasurements and calculations can be independent of the clock skews orclock rate discrepancies at the counterpart testing nodes. In thepresently disclosed method, RTTs are used for monitoring connectionperformances between pairs of neighboring nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network.

The neighbor nodes and the candidate nodes are then sorted into aplurality of orbital bins each comprising nodes characterized by RTTsrelated to the first node within a specific interval (step 460). Asnoted above, each orbital bin is defined by a range of RTT such as [0ms, 5 ms], [5 ms, 10 ms] . . . , etc. In one respect, nodes in differentorbital bins can be considered being at different distances from thefirst node in relation to data transport. The spread in “data transportdistances” between the orbital bins assures an optimal reach of thefirst node's connections with its neighbor nodes. The nodes that havenot successfully updated with RTTs are not sorted in the orbital bins.

From each of the orbital bins, at least one node is automaticallyselected based on RTTs associated with the node. The selected node isadded to updated neighbor nodes for the first node (step 470). The sumof updated neighbor nodes of all the nodes in the peer-to-peer computernetwork form the updated nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network(step 470).

Within an orbital bin, a node having a shorter RTT can be selected,which gives a faster data transport within RTT range of that orbitalbin. Moreover, the node selection within each orbital bin can also takeinto account of jitters, bandwidths, clock rate differences, and otherperformance parameters measured by the pulse messages and the returnpulses at the first node. A node will not be selected if measuredjitters, bandwidths, clock rate differences, and other performanceparameters exceeding a respective threshold. It should be noted that theneighbor nodes and the candidate nodes that are non-responsive to thepulse messages from the first node do not lead to updated RTTcalculations and are not sorted into the orbital bins. Thesenon-response nodes are thus discarded if some of them were on members ofthe peer-to-peer computer network. Furthermore, those nodes that haverecently measured jitter exceeding a predetermined threshold can also beremoved from the list of updated nodes in the peer-to-peer computernetwork if they have been.

In some embodiments, when two nodes in the same orbital bin have similarperformances (in latencies and jitter), the node that has been anupdated node in the peer-to-peer computer network for longer duration isselected. This criterion is based on the observation that nodes thathave shown longer period of good performance more likely provide morereliable performance in the future.

Steps 410-470 are repeated for other nodes (e.g., B, C, V1, R, P, V2, Z,etc.) in the peer-to-peer computer network. In this way, nodeconnections are regularly evaluated between pairs of neighboring nodes;the neighbor nodes are regularly updated. These node updating steps arerepeated and propagated throughout the peer-to-peer computer network.

The process of automatically routing data from a first node to a secondnode in the peer-to-peer computer network (step 320 in FIG. 3 ) caninclude one or more of the following steps. Referring to FIG. 5 , anorder or a need is first identified to send data from a first node to asecond node in a peer-to-peer computer network (step 510). The IPaddress of the second node is looked up using second node's ID on thepeer-node hash table (275 in FIG. 2 ) stored at the first node. One ormore path packages are sent from the first node to the second node in adirect data path (step 520) as defined by conventional Internet routing.Each path package records all the timestamps from the first node, allthe intermediate hops along the direct path, and the second node.One-way latency (OWL) and jitter are measured in the direct path betweenthe first node and the second node using the one or more path packagesreceived at the second node (step 530). The OWL of the direct path isthe reception time at the second node subtracted by the sending timerecorded at the first node. The conventional direct data path is used asa benchmark for the improved performance of the relayed data paths.

Next, relayed paths between the first node and the second node aresearched for and selected. One or more path packages are sent from thefirst node to the second node via relay nodes (step 540). Each pathpackage records the reception time and the sending time at each relaynode along its path as well as the sending time at the first node. Eachof the relayed data paths includes one or multiple relay nodes that arefrom the updated nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network (step 540).Using FIG. 1 as an example, when node A wants to find relayed paths tonode Z, node A sends path packets to its neighbor nodes in the orbitalbins (e.g., node B, C, R, V1, etc.). Thus, the updated neighbor nodeshave been recently updated using pulse messages and RTT and jittermeasurements as described above. Each of the neighbor nodes receiving apath packet records a reception timestamp and a seconding timestamp tothe path package. Then, the node A's neighbor node transmits thisupdated path packet forward to its neighbor node (e.g., from node R tonode P and node V2). The relaying operation is repeated until thedestination node is reached, or certain constraints are not met anymore(e.g., the number of hops has exceeded the maximum number of hops alongeach relayed path). Thus, a path packet that is successfully arrives thedestination node Z includes the timestamps of all the intermediate hopsfor the specific relayed path.

An important aspect for the presently disclosed cascaded path packagesis in its network security. At each hop, a relay node cryptographicallysigns the path packet with its private key paired with a public key ofthe relay node. Thus, the destination node (or the second node) cancryptographically verify the integrity and authenticity of all the hops(or routing segments) along the relayed path. Thus, no intermediate nodecan alter hop timestamps or the list of hops. In some embodiments, theconstruction of a path packet along the data path (a potential datarelay path) can include the following steps: the source node builds apath packet describing constraints (e.g., the maximum number of hopsallowed along the relayed path) and the destination node; the sourcenode cryptographically signs the path packet using the node ID of thesource node, the node ID of the destination, the node ID of the firsthop node (i.e. the first hop), and sends this path packet to the firstrelay node along with the signature; the first hop node records OWL,jitter, etc. of this hop; the first hop node cryptographically signs thepath packet using the source node signature, recorded OWL, jitter, etc.and the node ID of the second hop node, and sends the updated pathpackage to the second hop node; the second hop node repeats the steps ofthe first hop node; and these steps are repeated till the path packageis received by the destination node. The destination node receives achain of signatures that each depends on the previous signatures as wellas recorded measurements along each routing segment, which prevents thecontent of the path packet from being altered by the intermediatemalicious nodes. (When a data path is indeed selected for data routing,its hop nodes will function as relay nodes for data routing.)

In the above described method, the first node (the source node) can findthe second node (the destination node) even if they are not directlyconnected or the second node is not listed in the peer-node hash tableof the first node. Moreover, the relay nodes may or may not be directlyconnected to the first node (the source node) or the to the second node(destination node). Additionally, these relay nodes have been recentlyor currently updated by their respective neighbor nodes, which meansthat they provide good data transfer performance via their connections.In some embodiments, the search for the destination node is enabled byKademlia protocol, which allow a node to find information (node ID etc.)about a previously unseen node that is connected to the wholepeer-to-peer computer network, and to send path packets to that node.

For each path package that is originated from the first node andreceived by the second node, the total OWL for each of the relayed datapaths between the first node and the second node is calculated (step550). Since the sending time and reception time are recorded by the pathpackage for each routing segment, the OWL for each routing segment issimply the difference between the reception time of the receiving nodesubtracted by the sending time of the sending node for that routingsegment. The total OWL for the relayed path from the first node to thesecond node is the sum of all the OWLs of the routing segments along therelayed path. Since each relay node resends the next path package rightafter it receives one, the clock skew or clock discrepancy is cancelledout between the reception time and the sending time at the relay node.In other words, the total OWL is independent from the clockdiscrepancies at the relay nodes along the relayed path. Details aboutone-way latencies along a relayed path and its independence of theclocks of the relayed nodes are discussed in commonly assigned pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026, titled “Autonomouslyrouting data using relay nodes pre-selected from a group of distributedcomputer nodes based on measured one-way latencies”, filed Apr. 21,2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

One of the relayed data paths is automatically selected if a total OWLand an average jitter associated with the relayed data path satisfypredetermine criteria in comparison to the direct path (step 560). Theselected relayed data path is the best performing among all the relayedpath with lowest total OWL and data transfer jitters below a threshold.The selected relayed data path also has a total OWL shorter than theOWLs of other identified relayed data paths and the direct data path.The average jitter associated with a relayed data paths from the firstnode to the second node is calculated by a mean of jitters measured atall routing segments along the relayed data path. Details about jittersin data transfer latencies between nodes are disclosed in commonlyassigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026, titled“Autonomously routing data using relay nodes pre-selected from a groupof distributed computer nodes based on measured one-way latencies”,filed Apr. 21, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein byreference.

Once a relayed data path is selected within the peer-to-peer computernetwork, the first node can send data to the second node along theselected one of the relayed data paths (step 570). It should be notedthat the relay nodes can be physical nodes or SDN-defined virtual nodesin the peer-to-peer computer network. After successful relayed datarouting, the relay nodes can be subsequently rewarded by the party(typically the first node or the source node) that has requested thedata transport. The award can be in the form a transfer of tokens. Thetransactions can be recorded on a blockchain. Details about the awards,validation of transactions, and related tokenomics are disclosed incommonly assigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026,titled “Autonomously routing data using relay nodes pre-selected from agroup of distributed computer nodes based on measured one-waylatencies”, filed Apr. 21, 2021 and commonly assigned pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 17/463,883, titled “Utility and governancefor secure, reliable, sustainable, and distributed data routing over theInternet”, filed Sep. 1, 2021. The content of these patent applicationsis incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 6 , the process of autonomouslyself-organizing nodes and autonomously finding best data routing pathsbetween nodes in a peer-to-peer computer network can include one or moreof the following steps: when a source node has the need to send data toa destination node in a peer-to-peer computer network, the destinationnode is identified to receive a data transfer in the peer-to-peercomputer network (Step 600). As described above, the nodes in thepeer-to-peer computer network are identified by their node IDs. The nodeID of a node can be derived from the public key of that node. The publickey of node can also be obtained from Node ID. Other peer nodes can usethe public key to authenticate a message cryptographically signed bythis node using a private key (that is paired with the public key). Thenode ID (and the IP addresses, port numbers and protocols) of a node inthe peer-to-pee network is stored in peer-node hash tables (275, FIG. 2) of some other peer nodes (e.g., neighbor nodes). Since the nodes inthe peer-to-peer computer network are interconnected in a cascadingfashion (to neighbors, and in turn to neighbors' neighbors), a node canfind any current peer node in the peer-to-peer computer network usingKademlia protocol and can send messages or data packages to any otherpeer node within the peer-to-peer computer network.

Optionally, constraints for the data transfer from the source node tothe destination node are defined (step 605). Such constraints caninclude a maximum latency (defined by the total one-way latency along arouting path), a maximum jitter for the data transfer (i.e., variationsin the data transfer latencies), and the maximum number of hops (i.e.,number of relay nodes) allowed in a relayed data path from the sourcenode to the destination node. The constraints can also be based onbandwidths, clock rate differences, etc.

As disclosed in detail in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2 and steps 410-460 inFIG. 4 , the source node stores a list of neighbor nodes associated witha source node in orbital bins according to round-trip times (RTTs)between the source node and the neighbor nodes (step 610). The list ofneighbor nodes stored at the source node can be sorted into orbital binsranked by RTT values such as [0, 10 ms], (10 ms, 20 ms], etc. It shouldbe noted, as described above in relation to step 470 (FIG. 4 ), that theneighbor nodes can be sorted in orbital bins based on other parameterssuch as jitters, bandwidths, and clock rate differences measured bypulse messages and return messages between the source node and theneighbor nodes. Furthermore, as described above in relation to step 450(FIG. 4 ), RTT calculations can compensate for close rate differencesbetween source node and the neighbor nodes.

The list of the neighbor nodes can be updated by removing nodes based onpredetermined performance criteria (step 615). For example, if recentlymeasured RTTs and/or jitters between the source node and some of thenodes do not satisfy performance criteria (RTT too long or data-transferjitter too large), these nodes can be removed from the list of neighbornodes at the source node. Furthermore, new nodes can also be added tothe list of neighbor nodes associated with the source node as previouslydescribed (step 470 in FIG. 4 ).

The source node can send one or more path packages to the destinationnode in a from direct data path (step 620) from the source node to thedestination node. The direct path is defined by conventional networkrouting protocols. One-way latency (OWL) and jitter in the direct pathare measured using the one or more path packages received by thedestination node (step 625). Each path package is associated with asending time recorded by the source node and a reception time recordedat the destination node. An OWL can be calculated using the receptiontime and the sending time independent of clock skew that may existbetween the destination node and the source node as described in step530 (FIG. 5 ) and step 675 below. The OWL and jitter measured in thedirect path are used as a benchmark for the candidate relayed data pathsbetween the destination node and the source node.

To find relayed data paths, path packages are sent from the source nodeto its neighbor nodes (step 630). The neighbor nodes include a first hopnode (step 630). Each pack package can contain sending time recorded bythe source node as well as a signature of the source node. The signatureof the source node, as described above, can be verified by the publickey (which can be obtained from the node ID) of the source node. Asdiscussed previously in relation with step 540 (FIG. 5 ), a node in thepeer-to-peer network such as the source node may only be connected to asubset of all the nodes in the peer-to-peer network. But using Kademliaprotocol, a node in the peer-to-peer network can find and reach anotherpeer node in the peer-to-peer network by querying the other peer node atpeer-node hash tables at different nodes and by sending cascaded pathpackages through the peer-to-peer network. In this step, the source nodecan send path packages simultaneously to all the updated neighbor nodesstored in the peer-node hash table (275, FIG. 2 ) at the source node.

Optionally, for security purpose, the neighbor nodes can verify the pathpackages received from the source node (step 635). The neighbor nodessuch as the first hop node can verify a cryptographic signature in thepath package signed by the source node. If the path package is signedusing a private key of the source node, the signature can beauthenticated using a public key of the source node that is paired withits private key. As discussed above, the ID and the public key of thesource node can be queried (e.g., using peer-node hash tables 275 inFIG. 2 ) by the neighbor nodes in the peer-to-peer network. Formulti-hop path packages (step 665), a neighbor node can also verify thehop number and the signatures by the source node and all theintermediate hop nodes associated with the path package.

The first hop node can update the path packet by with associated hopinformation (step 640). The updated hop information can includereception time at the first hop node, the sending time of the pathpackage to the next hop node or the destination node (step 645 and step660 below) as well as a signature cryptographically signed by the firsthop node. The updated hop information is inserted into the path packetto be sent to the next hop node or the destination node.

Next, one or more path packages can be sent from the first hop node tothe destination node in a second direct data path (step 645) from thefirst hop node to the destination node. This step terminates additionalhops and will be used to evaluate a relayed data path comprising onlyone relay node: the first hop node.

As discussed above in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2 and steps 410-460 inFIG. 4 , and similar to step 610 relating to the source node, the firsthop node can store information of a list of neighbor nodes associatedwith in orbital bins according to RTTs between the first hop node andits neighbor nodes (step 650). Similar to step 615, neighbor nodes canbe removed from the list based on predetermined performance criteria(step 655), which can include removal of nodes having RTT ordata-transfer jitter over allowed respective thresholds. Furthermore,new nodes can also be added to the list of neighbor nodes associatedwith the first hop node as previously described. Moreover, as describedabove in relation to step 470 (FIG. 4 ), the neighbor nodes can besorted in orbital bins based on other parameters such as jitters,bandwidths, and clock rate differences measured by pulse messages andreturn messages between the first hop node and its neighbor nodes.Furthermore, as described above in relation to step 450 (FIG. 4 ), RTTcalculations can compensate for close rate differences between first hopnode and its neighbor nodes.

Steps 660 and step 665 can be skipped if the constraints defined in step605 specify a maximum number of one hop node (that is, only the firsthop node or one relayed node is allowed in a relayed data path).

Furthermore, path packages updated with the hop information at the firsthop node can be sent from the first hop node to its neighbor nodesincluding a second hop node (step 660). These path packages are used toevaluate relayed data paths that include additional relay nodes (e.g.,the second hop node, etc.). Then, steps 635-660 described above relatingto the first hop node can be repeated for the second hop node oradditional hop nodes (step 665). Using FIG. 1 as an example, node A canbe the source node, node R can be the first hop node, node V2 can be thesecond hop node, and without limiting to only two hop nodes, thedestination node can be node Z.

In the cascading manner as described above, steps 630-665 can reach allthe peer nodes that are currently on the updated lists of neighbor nodesof one or more nodes in the peer-to-peer network. Under the Kademliaprotocol, because each peer node is connected to multiple of itsneighbors, all peer nodes are inter-connected; the source node willalways have one or more pathways to reach the destination node in thesame peer-to-peer network.

The destination node receives all the path packages received from thesource node (in the first direct path), from the first hop node (one hopthen in the second direct path), and from other hop nodes (multiplehops) (step 670). The path packages include information recorded at thesource node as well updated information recorded at the intermediate hopnodes. Each of the path packages includes the IDs of the source node andthe intermediate hop nodes, the sending times and the reception timesfrom the source node to all the hop nodes, as well as cryptographicsignatures by all the nodes along the paths. The signatures can be usedfor verifications using the public keys of the associated nodes. Thesepath packages represent possible relayed data routing paths between thesource node and the destination node with the first direct path beingthe benchmark.

The total OWLs and other performance metrics are then calculated for thepotential data routing paths associated with the path packages (step675) received by the destination node. As described above in relation tostep 550 in FIG. 5 , the total OWL for the relayed path from the sourcenode to the destination node is the sum of the OWLs of all the routingsegments along the relayed data path (via one or more hop nodes). Sinceeach hop node resends the updated path package right after the lastversion of the path package was received, the clock skew is cancelledout between the reception time and the sending time at the relay node.In other words, the total OWL is independent from the clock skews at thehop nodes along a relayed data path that is being evaluated. Detailsabout one-way latencies along a relayed path and its independence of theclocks of the relay/hop nodes are discussed in commonly assigned pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026, titled “Autonomouslyrouting data using relay nodes pre-selected from a group of distributedcomputer nodes based on measured one-way latencies”, filed Apr. 21,2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Otherperformance metrics calculated at the destination node can includejitter or variations in data-transfer times, bandwidths of datathroughput, clock rate differences, and the number of hops in a relayeddata path.

A relayed data paths can be automatically selected for transferring datafrom the source node to the destination node based on the path packagesreceived by the destination node if the associated total OWL and otherperformance metrics satisfy predetermine criteria (step 680). Theselected relayed path includes one or more relay nodes, which are thehop nodes such as the first hop node, the second hop node . . . used infinding data routing paths from the source node to the destination node.Typically, the data routing path having the lowest OWL and jitter can beselected. The predetermine criteria can require each relayed data pathto have an OWL and jitter to be below respective thresholds (that lowlatency and low variation). The predetermine criteria can include acomparison of a potential relayed data path against the (first) directpath from the source node to the destination node: at least one of OWLand jitter should exceed the data-transfer performance of the directpath. The predetermine criteria can also be related to the constraintsfor the data transfer described in step 605. For example, theconstraints can specify a maximum number of hops to be 2, thus allpotential relayed data paths having more than two hop nodes can bediscarded from the evaluation. Using data path packages received, thedestination node can maintain a list of potential data routing pathsincluding the currently selected data routing path. The extra datarouting paths can be used as alternative routing paths to the firstselected path.

One or more of the above steps (610-615, 640-645) can be implemented byor under the data path discovery and routing protocols 280 (in FIG. 2 ).One or more of the above steps (600, 605, 620-635, 650-680) can beimplemented by or under the network self-organization protocols 270 (inFIG. 2 ).

Once a relayed data path is selected within the peer-to-peer computernetwork, the source node can send data to the destination node along theselected one of the relayed data paths similar to step 570. It should benoted that the source node, the destination node, as well as the relaynodes can be physical nodes or SDN-defined virtual nodes in thepeer-to-peer computer network. After successful relayed data routing,the relay nodes can be subsequently rewarded by the party (typically thefirst node or the source node) that has requested the data transport.The award can be in the form a transfer of tokens. These transactionscan be recorded on a blockchain. Details about the rewards, validationof transactions, and related tokenomics are disclosed in commonlyassigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/237,026, titled“Autonomously routing data using relay nodes pre-selected from a groupof distributed computer nodes based on measured one-way latencies”,filed Apr. 21, 2021 and commonly assigned pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/463,883, titled “Utility and governance forsecure, reliable, sustainable, and distributed data routing over theInternet”, filed Sep. 1, 2021. The content of these patent applicationsis incorporated herein by reference.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutionof the present invention but not to limit it. Those skilled in the artcan modify or equivalently replace the technical solution of the presentinvention without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. The scope of protection shall be subject to the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for autonomously routing data using in apeer-to-peer computer network, comprising: identifying a destinationnode to receive a data transfer in the peer-to-peer computer network,wherein the peer-to-peer computer network comprises a plurality of nodeseach associated with a unique node ID; defining one or more constraintsfor the data transfer; storing, at a source node, IDs of first neighbornodes that are connected to the source node in the peer-to-peer computernetwork, wherein the first neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality offirst orbital bins according to round-trip times (RTTs) between thesource node and the first neighbor nodes; sending one or more pathpackets from the source node to the destination node in a first directdata path from the source node to the destination node; sending pathpackets from the source node to the first neighbor nodes, wherein thefirst neighbor nodes include a first hop node; updating a path packetreceived by the first hop node with associated hop information; sendingone or more path packets comprising updated hop information to thedestination node in a second direct data path from the first hop node tothe destination node; storing IDs of second neighbor nodes that areconnected to the first hop node, wherein the second neighbor nodes aresorted into a plurality of second orbital bins according to RTTs betweenthe first hop node and the second neighbor nodes; if the one or moreconstraints for the data transfer allow more than one relay node in adata routing path, sending path packets comprising updated hopinformation from the first hop node to the second neighbor nodes,wherein the second neighbor nodes include a second hop node; andrepeating, at the second hop node, steps of updating a path packet withassociated hop information and sending one or more path packets to thedestination node; receiving, by the destination node, path packets fromthe source node, the first hop node, and additional hop nodes allowed bythe one or more constraints for the data transfer; calculating totalone-way latencies (OWLs) and performance metrics respectively for thepath packets received by the destination node; and automaticallyselecting a relayed data path for the data transfer from the source nodeto the destination node if the associated total OWL and the associatedperformance metrics satisfy predetermine criteria.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the relayed data path selected includes the first hopnode as a first relay node.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one ormore constraints for the data transfer allows two relay nodes in a datarouting path, wherein the relayed data path selected further includesthe second hop node as a second relay node.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein one of the path packets received by the first hop node from thesource node includes a sending time stamp recorded at the source node,wherein the one of the path packets is updated with a reception timestamp recorded at the first hop node and an identification of the firsthop node.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the path packets isfurther updated by a cryptographic signature by the first hop node. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the one of the path packets is updated bysigning with a private key paired with a public key associated with thefirst hop node.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the public key of thefirst hop node is obtained from a node ID of the first hop node.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first orbital bins and the second orbitalbins are ranked by associated RTT values, wherein each of the firstorbital bins and second orbital bins is associated with a specificinterval for the RTT values.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein an RTTbetween the source node and one of the first neighbor nodes iscalculated by a sending time stamp of a pulse message sent from thesource node and a reception time stamp of a return pulse received by thesource node in response to the pulse message, the sending time stamp andthe reception time stamp being both recorded at the source node.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least some of computer clocks at theplurality of nodes have skews relative to each other, wherein the RTTsare independent of the skews between the computer clocks at theplurality of nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network.
 11. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: removing a node from the neighbor nodesassociated with the source node if RTT or jitter measured between thenode and the source node is above a predetermined criterion.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein step of calculating the total OWLs and themetrics of the path packets received by the destination node comprises:summing OWLs measured at all routing segments along a relayed data pathassociated with one of the path packets received by the destination nodeto obtain the total OWL for the relayed data path.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein at least some of computer clocks at the plurality ofnodes have skews relative to each other, wherein the total OWL measuredin the relayed data path selected is independent of the skews betweenthe computer clocks at the plurality of nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the relayed datapath selected has a total OWL and jitter lower than the first directdata path.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing IDs ofthird neighbor nodes that are connected to the second hop node, whereinthe third neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality of third orbitalbins according to RTTs between the first hop node and the third neighbornodes; if the one or more constraints for the data transfer allow morethan two relay nodes in a data routing path, sending path packetscomprising updated hop information from the second hop node to the thirdneighbor nodes, wherein the third neighbor nodes include a third hopnode; and repeating, at the third hop node, steps of updating a pathpacket with associated hop information and sending one or more pathpackets to the destination node.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network includes one ormore virtual nodes associated with a software defined network, whereinthe relayed data path selected includes a virtual node for relaying thedata transfer from the source node to the destination node.
 17. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: storing peer-node hash tables atindividual nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network, wherein each ofthe peer-node hash tables includes hash values of node IDs of associatedneighbor nodes; and querying a node ID of the destination node usingpeer-node hash tables stored at the source node and other nodes in thepeer-to-peer computer network.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by oneor more processors, cause the one or more processors to performoperations in a peer-to-peer computer network, the operationscomprising: identifying a destination node to receive a data transfer inthe peer-to-peer computer network, wherein the peer-to-peer computernetwork comprises a plurality of nodes each associated with a uniquenode ID; defining one or more constraints for the data transfer;storing, at a source node, IDs of first neighbor nodes that areconnected to the source node in the peer-to-peer computer network,wherein the first neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality of firstorbital bins according to round-trip times (RTTs) between the sourcenode and the first neighbor nodes; sending one or more path packets fromthe source node to the destination node in a first direct data path fromthe source node to the destination node; sending path packets from thesource node to the first neighbor nodes, wherein the first neighbornodes include a first hop node; updating a path packet received by thefirst hop node with associated hop information; sending one or more pathpackets comprising updated hop information to the destination node in asecond direct data path from the first hop node to the destination node;storing IDs of second neighbor nodes that are connected to the first hopnode, wherein the second neighbor nodes are sorted into a plurality ofsecond orbital bins according to RTTs between the first hop node and thesecond neighbor nodes; if the one or more constraints for the datatransfer allow more than one relay node in a data routing path, sendingpath packets comprising updated hop information from the first hop nodeto the second neighbor nodes, wherein the second neighbor nodes includea second hop node; and repeating, at the second hop node, steps ofupdating a path packet with associated hop information and sending oneor more path packets to the destination node; receiving, by thedestination node, path packets from the source node, the first hop node,and additional hop nodes allowed by the one or more constraints for thedata transfer; calculating total one-way latencies (OWLs) andperformance metrics respectively for the path packets received by thedestination node; and automatically selecting a relayed data path forthe data transfer from the source node to the destination node if theassociated total OWL and the associated performance metrics satisfypredetermine criteria.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 18, wherein at least some of computer clocks at the pluralityof nodes have skews relative to each other, wherein the RTTs areindependent of the skews between the computer clocks at the plurality ofnodes in the peer-to-peer computer network.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein step of calculating thetotal OWLs and the performance metrics of the path packets received bythe destination node comprises: summing OWLs measured at all routingsegments along a relayed data path associated with one of the pathpackets received by the destination node to obtain the total OWL for therelayed data path.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 20, wherein at least some of computer clocks at the plurality ofnodes have skews relative to each other, wherein the total OWL measuredin the relayed data path selected is independent of the skews betweenthe computer clocks at the plurality of nodes in the peer-to-peercomputer network.
 22. A computer system for autonomously routing datausing in a peer-to-peer computer network, comprising: a communicationmodule configured to send or receive data to and from a plurality ofnodes in a peer-to-peer computer network; and a computer memory storingthe instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors atthe plurality of nodes, cause the plurality of nodes to: identify adestination node to receive a data transfer in the peer-to-peer computernetwork, wherein the peer-to-peer computer network comprises theplurality of nodes each associated with a unique node ID; define one ormore constraints for the data transfer; store, at a source node, IDs offirst neighbor nodes that are connected to the source node in thepeer-to-peer computer network, wherein the first neighbor nodes aresorted into a plurality of first orbital bins according to round-triptimes (RTTs) between the source node and the first neighbor nodes; sendone or more path packets from the source node to the destination node ina first direct data path from the source node to the destination node;send path packets from the source node to the first neighbor nodes,wherein the first neighbor nodes include a first hop node; update a pathpacket received by the first hop node with associated hop information;send one or more path packets comprising updated hop information to thedestination node in a second direct data path from the first hop node tothe destination node; store IDs of second neighbor nodes that areconnected to the first hop node, wherein the second neighbor nodes aresorted into a plurality of second orbital bins according to RTTs betweenthe first hop node and the second neighbor nodes; if the one or moreconstraints for the data transfer allow more than one relay node in adata routing path, send path packets comprising updated hop informationfrom the first hop node to the second neighbor nodes, wherein the secondneighbor nodes include a second hop node; and repeat, at the second hopnode, steps of updating a path packet with associated hop informationand sending one or more path packets to the destination node; receive,by the destination node, path packets from the source node, the firsthop node, and additional hop nodes allowed by the one or moreconstraints for the data transfer; calculate total one-way latencies(OWLs) and performance metrics respectively for the path packetsreceived by the destination node; and automatically select a relayeddata path for the data transfer from the source node to the destinationnode if the associated total OWL and the associated performance metricssatisfy predetermine criteria.
 23. The computer system of claim 22,wherein at least some of computer clocks at the plurality of nodes haveskews relative to each other, wherein the RTTs are independent of theskews between the computer clocks at the plurality of nodes in thepeer-to-peer computer network.
 24. The computer system of claim 22,wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors at the plurality of nodes, further cause the plurality ofnodes to sum OWLs measured at all routing segments along a relayed datapath associated with one of the path packets received by the destinationnode to obtain the total OWL for the relayed data path in calculation oftotal OWLs and performance metrics of the path packets received by thedestination node.
 25. The computer system of claim 24, wherein at leastsome of computer clocks at the plurality of nodes have skews relative toeach other, wherein the total OWL measured in the relayed data pathselected is independent of the skews between the computer clocks at theplurality of nodes in the peer-to-peer computer network.